An Officer and an ItalianChapter 1

Desc: Romantic Sex Story: Chapter 1 - This story in in response to a reader's inquiry about Rachel and Sergio's story. I never dreamed that someone would be asking about their story when I posted Em and Nicola's story. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this tale of love between the most reluctant K-9 officer and the hot blooded Italian that pursues her.

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Sergio Rambaudi tried to hold his sigh of impatience in check. It was a hot summer day and due to the intense heat, he wanted nothing more than to go to his brother Nicola's house -- strip down to nothing and take advantage of his private beach. But the woman in front of him was just moseying along but due to the road 'con-fucktion' --construction he amended - he couldn't pass her. It made him wonder what had ever possessed him to drive out of his way to give his sister Amina the package that had just arrived from Italy. What had made the trip worth it was her promise of a tray of warm dolce di fichi- that was the reason he had changed his mind. The combination of the soft chewy fig and crisp cookie was his downfall and Amina knew that it was a sure enticement. He shouldn't be bitching about doing the errand. He loved his little sister and she was more than generous with the dolce di fichi. It was amazing that he didn't weigh over two hundred and fifty pounds ... not that he couldn't pull off such a weight with his height of over six foot five inches. But he wasn't about to stop exercising so his weight was well under two hundred pounds on a tall lean frame.

He sighed in relief when he saw his exit come into view. Flipping his turn signal on, he entered the on ramp. Moments later the flash of blue and red lights in his rearview mirror had him wanting to hit something or someone. He cursed under his breath, and slowly pulled off onto the shoulder. He leaned over and reached inside the glove box for his registration. His bad day had just taken a turn for the worse. With his obvious Italian ancestry, name and accent, he was often given the suspicious eye by the authorities even though he had been in America for almost ten years. As he pulled back, he knocked the plate of cookies that Amina had given him onto the floor.

"Damn it!" he cursed as he contorted his tall body into a pretzel when he tried to rescue his precious "loot" from the floorboard on the other side of the car.

"Straighten up slowly and let me see your hands, sir," a firm woman's voice instructed him. Shocked - he straightened up too quickly and hit his head on the rear view mirror.

"Son of a bitch!" he groaned as he placed his head over the injured area on the back of his head.

"Are you all right, sir?" the voice asked him.

"Yeah. Just peachy," he muttered.

"I need to see your driver's license, registration, and proof of insurance," she replied.

He reached over and picked up the items that she asked for and handed them to her. If he hadn't been nursing a sore head, he would have noticed the young woman's beauty. Even in a cop's uniform, she was definitely cute. She was barely over five feet tall and had warm chestnut hair that she kept pulled back in a tight French braid due to the heat. He was still rubbing his head as she took the requested information back to her cruiser with her.

Rachel Arnsworth walked quickly back to her cruiser. Slipping inside she kept her eyes on the suspect as she quickly tapped his name into the laptop mounted in the middle of her cruiser. She hummed briefly to herself as she waited for the requested information to come up. She wasn't expecting much more than a traffic violation to pop up. Given the man's attire and the car that he was driving, she was shocked when she saw an old charge --one that was nearly a decade old. How it was still on his records surprised her - since anything older than seven years was normally dropped. Public Indecency. She tried to picture the uptight man in the car, streaking. She shook her head, before grabbing her citation book and heading back to Mr Rambaudi's car.

"Mr. Rambaudi, do you know why I pulled you over?" Rachel asked him.

"No. I don't believe I was speeding." he protested.

"Your brake lights and turn signals aren't working correctly, Mr. Rambaudi. I suggest you have your mechanic look at it and get if fixed right away. I would hate to be called to an accident because some idiot tailgating you didn't realize that you were slowing down." She finished writing his ticket before handing it to him.

"What's this?" he asked, looking at a different type of citation.

"It's a "fix it" ticket. Get the repairs done and take the receipt to the courthouse where they will validate that you have fixed it. Then there

is no fine and no penalty. Or simply pay the fine and hope that I or another cop won't catch you again. Because I won't be so lenient on you next time. Have a good day, Mr. Rambaudi." she said before turning back to go to her car.

"Brutta birbona! he muttered as she walked towards the car.

Rachel stilled as memories washed over her. She hadn't heard that phrase in years. Her nanny was the last one to chastise her with that saying. And it had been years since 'Smeralda' had said it to her. The phrase reminded her that she needed to visit her beloved nanny. It had been several weeks since she had spoken with the elderly lady that had truly raised her. She should call him on his utterance but she was going to let him go.

She had just entered her car when there was a squeal of tires and the loud sound of a semi 'jake braking'. She looked up and paled as she realized that there was a semi truck barreling down the on-ramp in the wrong direction. She could see a man wearing some kind of institutional clothing at the wheel. She cursed when she saw that the

huge rig was headed straight for her squad car. She quickly strapped her seat belt on and braced herself for impact. She fingered the radio attached her shoulder.

"Headquarters this is unit 385. I have a 480 in progress."

"Location, unit 385?" dispatch asked as the semi hit the side of her car and forced her through the guardrail. She braced her head as the squad car teetered on the edge before falling into the steep gully next to the off ramp. She screamed as the ground raced up to meet her. She prayed that dispatch got her location and for some reason Sergio Rambaudi's face was the last thing she focused on before the blackness overwhelmed her.

Sergio stared in horror as the eighteen-wheeler roared by him and hit the cop car behind him. He fumbled frantically for his seat belt then shoved the door open. The eighteen-wheeler stopped for a brief moment. He memorized the plate number before he realized that the lunatic driving it was backing up. He jumped back in his car just in time. He winced as his driver's side door was ripped off it's hinges. "Son of bitch!" This car was a lease. He would never get his deposit back now! He frantically grabbed his cell phone and punched in 911. He waited for the operator to come on.

He quickly gave the operator his location and told her about the license plate number for the truck before explaining that the cop car had been pushed through the guardrail.

"Sir, can you see the unit number on the car?" she asked him.

"Just a sec." He got out of his car on unsteady feet and walked to the gaping gap in the guardrail. He peered down into the gully. He squinted trying to see the white number that was painted on the trunk of the cruiser. "I think it's 38 ... shit I can't see the last number. The car is on it's side. I can't make out the number. Wait, a second. I think the officer's name is on the ticket that she gave me."

"Ticket, sir?"

"Yeah, my tail lights aren't working apparently," Sergio said sheepishly as he grabbed the ticket off the seat. "Officer Rachel Arnsword ... no Arnsworth." He said trying to read Rachel's signature.

"Stay on the line, sir." He dropped the ticket back on the seat and headed back over to the opening. "Rachel, can you hear me?" he called down to the car. He strained to see if there was any movement inside of the cruiser.

"Unit 385, this is dispatch, respond please."

He stilled as he heard the tinny voice of the police radio.

"I can hear you calling the officer." he told the woman on the phone. "I think that she might be unconscious. She was plowed pretty hard by that semi."

"Affirmative dispatch, this unit 385," Rachel's weak voice echoed through the connection in his ear.

"She's alive!" he said as intense relief flooded his system.

"Status, unit 385?"

A long silence followed.

"Sir, can you see the officer?" the dispatcher asked.

"No. But give me a minute. I'm going down there." Sergio replied as he slipped his cell phone into his suit pocket before grabbing one mangled edge. He slid down the bank and came to rest against the side of the car. Peering inside of the vehicle through the shattered glass of the car door - he tried to make out Rachel. She was slumped over in the seat, her seat belt holding her in place.

"Miss!" Sergio said loudly, hoping to get a response from her. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the phone. "She's unconscious. I don't see any blood but it's hard to tell. The car is on its side in the ditch below the roadway. There's broken glass everywhere." he told the dispatcher.

"All right, sir. Can you smell any gas?"

"No. I think we got lucky. The drivers' side of the car is all mangled but it just slid down the embankment on it's side. I don't think that I can get the door open. It's jammed!"

"We're sending help, sir. Please stay with the vehicle and help will arrive shortly," the dispatcher assured him.

He sighed as he turned the phone off. Propping his hip on the mangled edge of the fender, he reached into the car and brushed his fingers over the sleeve of her uniform shirt After brushing away the fragments of glass from her shoulder, he sighed roughly. He felt so helpless. Maybe he should try to rouse her again.

"Rachel? Rachel — wake up! Help is coming!"

Rachel struggled to answer the gentle voice. But her head hurt and so did several of her ribs. She knew that she had been hit by the semi but she wasn't sure how long ago it had happened and who was trying to get her attention. Her last recollection was of pulling Sergio over and giving him a ticket for his taillights. She groaned softly as she tried to open her eyes.

"Rachel? Mi bella, please open your eyes and talk to me," the voice pleaded with her.

"I'm not your beauty," she growled, "and quite shouting!"

"Thank God. I've already called 911. They are sending help right away. I can't get you out of there. The door is all mangled. They are going to have to use the 'saws of life', I think." Sergio said more softly.

"Saw of life?" Rachel asked as she turned her head to look out her cruiser's window.

"Yeah, you know the can opener thing for cars?" Sergio said earnestly.

Rachel looked at him blankly for a moment. Can opener for cars? Then it finally clicked.

"Oh you mean the Jaws of Life!" Then she sobered. If they used the Jaws of Life on her cruiser, her boss was going to be pissed. She had just gotten the specially equipped cruiser for her and her K-9 dog, Rambo. Rambo? How had the accident affected Rambo?

"Hey can you do me a favor?" she gasped after trying to turn around to check on Rambo and nearly passing out from the chest pain again.

"Sure." Sergio said as he continued to lean over the car.

"Can you check on Rambo? He's in the back of the car, " she said trying not to cry from the pain coming from her ribs. She had definitely broken a few of them.

Sergio stared down at Rachel in disbelief. She had to be delirious. He knew who Rambo was and even though this was California, he didn't think that she had Sylvester Stallone in the back seat of her car.

"Please," she pleaded. "He's my partner."

"Okay." He decided to humor her. He moved slowly down the car, not wanting to push the car any further off balance with his weight. He peered into the darkened backseat of her cruiser and nearly had a heart attack when a dog surged up towards the window and started barking at him.

"Hey Rachel, is Rambo your dog?" he asked as the dog continued to bark.

"No, he's my partner." she said. "And what did you do to piss him off?" she joked weakly as she listened to Rambo bark at the man.

"Nothing." he said in defense.

"Dispatch, this unit 385, copy?" she said into her radio.

"Copy unit 385. Status?"

"Minor injuries. K-9 officer Rambo is uninjured. Christ, Kevin -that is Captain, is going to be pissed. My car is totaled." she told the dispatcher.

"Don't worry about the car, Arnsworth. He'll be happy that you and Rambo are okay. What are your injuries?"

"Probably a concussion and it feels like I have a few busted ribs. Civilian on scene checked on Rambo. From the way he's barking, I am sure that he's uninjured."

"Good. We are trying to get an ambulance and the fire department to you; but with the road construction and the rush hour traffic it's going to be a bit. Hold on tight and we'll get there ASAP. Over."

"Copy that dispatch." she replied.

"Is help on its way?" Sergio asked as he came back to her window, careful of the broken glass that littered the frame.

"Yeah. It'll be a while. If you want to head home you can." she said, hating the idea of delaying him. "I am sure that you have a wife and kiddos at home waiting for you."

"Nope. Even if I did mi famigila would understand. Rambaudi's don't run from trouble."

"Well, I will be the first to admit that this is trouble." Rachel laughed and then groaned as her ribs protested.

Sergio leaned more comfortably against the car as he conversed with Rachel. It had been almost an hour since the accident and help was no closer than it had been when the accident first occurred. In the process he had learned a few things about her, such as the fact that she was an only child of widower father. Her mother had died giving birth due to the hemorrhaging. Because of that she had been raised by her father and a very strict but loving nanny named Smeralda. Sergio listened as Rachel talked, but he could tell as the time drew on that she was becoming more and more uncomfortable.

"I'll be right back, Rachel." Sergio told her before he scrambled back up the embankment. He walked quickly to his car and rooted around inside of it. Gathering up a handful of items, he hurried back to Rachel. Sliding back down the embankment, he hit the car with his full body weight. He cursed softly as Rachel moaned from inside the battered cruiser as the movement jarred the car.

"Sorry, Rachel. I came down a bit faster than I intended. I thought you might be thirsty or hungry. And I have some over the counter pain relievers. I thought they might help." he said as he dug the bottle of aspirin out of his pocket after balancing his plate of cookies on the car and taking a bottle of cappuccino out of his other pocket.

"Really? What kind?" she asked hopefully.

"Aspirin, 400 mg." he said reading the label.

"Damn it." Rachel said dejectedly.

"What's wrong."

"I can't take it. I'm allergic to aspirin. I can have non-aspirin or ibuprofen but not aspirin."

"Well, hell. Can I at least offer you a cookie and some cold cappuccino?" he asked her.

"Coffee? Cookies?" Rachel said just before her stomach growled.

"I'll take that as a yes." he laughed as he pulled the plastic wrap off the plate. He grabbed two of them then he handed them inside of the car to her.

"Well that's one thing we have in common. Smeralda couldn't bake but her younger brother would make them up by the dozens and send them to us. He was a baker in Italy. It must have cost him a fortune but about every 3 or 4 weeks we would get a care package from him."

"Really, what part of Italy was he from?" Sergio asked out of curiosity.

"Ah, I think Smeralda said he's in Ventimiglia?" she as she tried to remember.

"Really. That's where my family is from!" he said excitedly. "We would all go to Capo Mortola every summer."

"What's in Capo Mortola?" Rachel asked innocently.

"Why it has one of the few nudist beaches in Italy." he said neutrally.

"Really? Just out of curiosity, Sergio. I noticed on your record you have a charge of indecency. I was wondering about that..." she trailed off, obviously picturing him on a public beach walking around in the buff.

"Oh yeah," he said sheepishly. "I was new to your country and didn't realize that your beaches didn't allow nudity."

She stared at him in silence before laughing softly. He arched a brow at her merriment.

"I'm sorry, Sergio! It's just the idea of you stripping down to your skin and having some lifeguard try to explain to you that the beach wasn't a clothing optional one - just strikes my funny bone. I'm sure that it was embarrassing for you at the time."

"At the time, a bit. My brother teases me relentlessly about it."

"Is he younger or older."

"Older. In fact I was on my way to his house when you pulled me over."

"I'm sorry to ruin your plans, Sergio."

"Don't worry about that, Rachel. What kind of man would I be if I ran off and left you here by yourself," Sergio asked.

Rachel sat in the cruiser, munching on cookies, sipping on a cold cappuccino, and couldn't believe - that even though she was in pain- she was envisioning Sergio walking on the beach in the nude. She sighed, glad that her Kevlar vest hid the fact that her nipples were hardened and peaked. There was no way that she was going to try and explain that occurrence to him.

"You know, Rachel, I can almost hear the wheels in your head turning," Sergio said as he crouched down next to her window.

She laughed at him.

"You think that's funny?" he asked as he lifted a dark brow.

"Sure. I was just wondering about the nude beach thing."

"What about it?" he asked - surprised that she was curious.

"I can't imagine all those men and woman wandering around on the beach like Adam and Eve. All I can envision is a wild orgy taking place." she said as her cheeks flushed.

"You know as long as I've been going to the beach, I've never actually seen an orgy take place."

"I think it would be distracting to have all those guys running around nude. Now a woman can hide her reaction to seeing all them walking around but a man ... well I'm sure that it's a bit harder ... to ah..." she stammered as her face grew red.

He leaned forward, into the car and gently turned her face towards him.

"Is that your way of asking if I ever gotten hard on the beach, Brutta birbona, " he asked her, watching as the blush deepened on her face.

"I wish you wouldn't call me that," she mumbled.

"Why's that, Rachel?"

"Because you remind me of Smeralda when you do."

"Oh believe me the last person I want to remind you of is your nanny, mi bella" Sergio stated.

"What?" she squeaked, her nerves draw tight at his intense stare.

"You, Officer Arnsworth, are a very attractive woman. One that I wouldn't mind seeing again."

"You are crazy," Rachel laughed. "I am a mess. I have bruises all over me, a goose egg on my head and probably several broken ribs and you say I am attractive. You, Mr. Rambaudi, are a flatterer and you need to have your eyes examined," she informed him.

"I thought you were beautiful when you pulled me over." he countered.

"You were pissed when I pulled you over, Sergio. I could hear you cussing ten feet from the car." she shot back.

"Ah yes, I was pissed. But you know, I didn't stay that way long. You were very sexy walking back to that car of yours. I about had a heart attack when the semi roared by me and hit your car. When this over, I would like to take you out. Of course when you are feeling better."

"I don't think so, Mr. Rambaudi," Rachel told him softly.

"We'll see about that, Brutta birbona, " Sergio said with a soft smile.

Two weeks later

Sergio waited patiently outside the police department. He knew that Rachel was inside. Her new car was sitting out in the parking lot and Rambo was laying in the backseat. She had left the car 'on idle' as per state regulations to keep him cool.

He nodded at a group of officers that exited the building. Leaning up against the building he crossed his legs at the ankle. His patience finally paid off as Rachel walked slowly out of the building. Her chesnut hair was pulled up into high ponytail. It swung back and forth sexily as she made her way down the steps. She was still moving stiffly so it was obvious - to him - that her ribs were still bothering her. It worried him that she was pushing herself too hard - too soon.

She was just a petite little thing and that brought out all his protective instincts. He wasn't sure what had exactly happened that day on that off ramp, but something had changed in him. It was as if he had met his soul mate -- the perfect woman for him. And now all he had to do was convince her.

"Brutta birbona, why have you been avoiding me?" His voice boomed, drawing attention to them.

Rachel froze. She slowly turned around and glared at him. He pushed off the building and slowly walked down the stairs towards her. She had set her mouth in defiance. He was tempted to kiss that frown right off her lush lips.

"Mr. Rambaudi. I wasn't expecting to see you again." she said stiffly, obviously hoping that if she gave him the cold shoulder he would go away. Not likely, he mused.

"Let's go, shall we?" he murmured as he took her arm and guided her down the rest of the steps.

"And where exactly are we going?" she asked frostily.

"To lunch." he answered as he lead her to her car. Opening the door, he held it for her waiting for her to sit down. "And I'll even let you drive." he added before walking around the car.

Rachel moaned softly. She would never hear the end of this. She had tried to break things off with Sergio after the accident. But it had not been as easy as she had hoped. He had come to the hospital and visited her each day for the week that they hospitalized her. Unfortunately one of her broken ribs had grazed her lung and they had kept her as a precaution. Then after she had gotten out and was released back to work on light duty; she arrived to find a huge flower arrangement on her desk with a plate of dolce di fichi.

She had tried to put him off but he wouldn't be persuaded. After the flowers and cookies, she had received a personal invite to come and sunbathe with him. "Swimsuit optional!" She had almost given in to that temptation. It was worse than the cookies had been. And she was sure that he would be harder on her heart than those rich buttery delicious cookies were on her waistline.

She had tried to let him down nicely. She wasn't ready for any relationship, especially not with a man like Sergio that she knew was going to be a possessive throwback. He had it stamped all over him.

She watched as he walked around the front of the car. She was tempted to throw the car into reverse and escape him but her fellow police officers were all around and she knew that she would never hear the end of it if she ran from him. She was already getting enough 'bullshit' from them about the accident.

She gritted her teeth in frustration and bit her tongue. She would take them somewhere, where she wouldn't be the center of attention and drop him on his sexy ass. Her womb clenched at the thought of 'said' ass; she had dreamt about it for the last two weeks. It just wasn't right - she fumed.

"So, are you going to give me the silent treatment, Rachel or we going to talk this over?" he asked after he buckled his seatbelt and she pulled out of the police station parking lot. In back-Rambo growled warningly.

"Do I have to worry about you feeding me to Rambo?" he teased as she made a turn at the intersection and pulled into heavy traffic.

"If you keep harassing me, I can make no promises." she said flatly.

"Harassing?" he asked coolly. "How is that? I thought that women liked being courted."

"So sending me flowers, cookies and 'invites to sunbathe nude' are your way of courting me?" she asked, looking over at him for the first time since he sat down in the car.

"Ah Rachel, dolcezza, of course I have been courting you. There's something about you that pulls at me. I thought you would like the flowers and cookies. And you seemed interested in nudity."

he said as he took her hand in his. "How are your ribs?" he added as he stroked the palm of her hand with his thumb.

"So what would it take then?" he asked as if he hadn't just listened to her outburst.

"What would what take?" she said between clenched teeth.

"If cookies and flowers don't work, what do I need to court you, Officer Arnsworth?"

"Don't you get it, Sergio Rambaudi!" she hissed as she pulled into the open parking lot that sat next to his building. It was obvious she hadn't been medicated enough while in the hospital - or she wouldn't have remembered when he had told her about his clothing design business with his brother and it's exact location.

"Get what Rachel? That you are fighting the attraction between us? Or that you are scared to let a relationship develop?" He asked as he turned and leaned against the car door.

"You have a lot of nerve, Sergio, to assume that I would want any relationship with you. For Christ's sake, I just met you two weeks ago! On a routine traffic stop. If I had a dime for every man that I pulled over who tried to ask me out, I would be a rich woman and be buried up to my neck in men."

"Of course you would be, dolcezza. You are beautiful. But I like your feistiness best of all." he assured her.

"Get out of my squad car, NOW!" she spat out hoarsely.

He started to protest.

"NOW! or I'll sick Rambo on you." she threatened. In the backseat, Rambo growled menacingly.

"All right, Rachel. I'll get out for now. But you never answered my question."

"What?" she screamed.

"Temper, temper, Brutta birbona." he scolded.

"You have two seconds to get out of my car." she warned.

"Or what?" he asked as he leaned forward.

"I'll shoot you and then feed you to Rambo." she hissed.

"No you wouldn't." he said after a moment and leaned forward and covered her mouth with his.

Rachel's eyes widened in astonished surprise; then his lips were firm against hers ... she could taste mint on his breath. He must have brushed his teeth before ambushing her at the station ... or had been eating mints. She didn't know what aroused her more ... the idea that he had taken the time to brush his teeth or the fact that he loved mint. Before she could stop herself, her eyes drifted shut and her arms crept up to wrap around his neck. He murmured his approval against her lips before running his tongue across the seam of them. She parted them without thought. She moaned as he teased the inner curve of her lips with his tongue.

After a few long seconds of exploring he gently rubbed his tongue over hers, shyly coaxing her into returning the caress. He held her gently against him obviously in deference to her broken ribs. After a few moments he gently broke their kiss and released her back into her seat. He smiled when she softly pressed her fingers to her now swollen lips.

"I can't believe you just did that," she whispered.

"Why? I've been telling you for weeks now that I find you attractive. And I've been dying to kiss you since the first time I climbed down that embankment and realized you were all right."

"What the hell am I going to do with you, Sergio. I've tried and tried to be nice about this." She said hotly.

"Why not let nature take it's course," he suggested.

"Because 'Mother Nature' is a bitch. And she does care who gets hurt in the process. Therefore - I am not going to be another casualty along the way."

"So what do I do to change your mind?"

"There's nothing you can do," she told him flatly. "It's as hopeless as finding a nude beach here."

"And if I could find you one, would you give me a chance?" he asked.

"Yeah. But you'll never find one, Sergio. Now please get out of my car. I have to be on duty in fifteen minutes and I would like to grab a sandwich before I go back on duty."

"I'll being seeing you soon, Brutta birbona," he warned her,

as he easily exited her cruiser then stood so tall against the door.

She just smiled tightly and backed up.

"Not if I see you coming you won't," she muttered to herself.

Sergio watched as she drove away. He sighed and shoved his hands into his linen trousers. He watched until she was out of sight before entering the building. Walking into the elevator, his mind lingered on her. She had tasted just as sweet as he had expected, so he knew that it wouldn't take much to send him careening out of control. It had taken all of his will power to keep their kiss gentle. He had wanted to ravish her senses but he was very aware of the fact that her broken ribs weren't quite healed yet; and the very last thing he wanted to do was cause her pain.

As the elevator dinged, signaling its arrival on the top floor, he exited the elevator and headed straight for his brother's workroom. Not bothering to knock, he strode in and found his brother sitting on a stool in front of his work bench, his silver framed glasses perched on his elegant nose.

"Nicola, I need a favor." he said without any pleasantries. He paced back and forth between the work table and windows, his long stride eating up the substantial distance in three to four strides.

"Wound a little tight, Sergio?" Nicola asked before taking the glasses off his nose and massaging the bridge of it.

"She's still running from me." Sergio said shortly.

"Have you thought maybe she's not the one?"

"NO!" Sergio protested with a violent shake of his head.

"Calm down, brother. What can I do to help?" Nicola asked.

"I need to borrow your house."

"My house?"

"Yeah. The only way she'll give me a chance is if I find a nude beach in our area. She thinks that she is so clever."

"Well as a police officer, Sergio, she probably knows that there aren't any public nude beaches around here."

"That's why I need to borrow your house."

"But she said public nude beach right?"

"No," Sergio said with a slow grin. "She just said 'nude beach'. She didn't say it had to be public."

Nicola just laughed.

"So when do you need it?"

Rachel sat at her desk in the police station and mindlessly stared at the computer in front of her. This week she had been delegated to desk duty. It was all because that idiot punk had sucker-punched her in the ribs while resisting arrest. Her captain had heard about it and had gone through the roof - he had ordered her to desk duty and told she wasn't going back on the beat until her ribs were completely healed. No amount of pleading and arguing with him had changed his mind. That's what she got for having her god-father as her captain, she fumed. Damn, she hated sitting behind the desk. She needed action ... she needed excitement ... she needed...

"Hello, Brutta birbona," Sergio greeted as he leaned over her desk, his long arms trapping her effectively in her chair.

Not this, she moaned silently. She swallowed roughly.

"I thought I got rid of you!"

"Dolcezza, you won't ever get rid of me." he told her before covering her open mouth with his. She jerked and tried to pull back from him. He held her effortlessly in place ... careful not to hurt her throbbing ribs ... but firmly enough that she couldn't get away from him.

When he finally tore his mouth away from hers-- the entire squad room was staring! He rested his forehead against hers.

"Damn, if you don't taste good, Brutta birbona, But so help me God, if you go out injured again, I'll paddle your little ass."

She jerked back and stared at him in disbelief and growing anger.

"Who the hell..."

"Shhh ... just be quiet and come with me, Rachel. I have something to show you."

"As if I want to go anywhere with you!" she hissed.

"You'll come with me, or I'll camp out next to your desk until you do," he said matter-of-factly.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I? I'd dare about anything with you." he said as he slowly straightened to his full height. She swallowed roughly. She was short and she accepted that most people, especially men, were going to be taller than her -- but he had to be at least 6 foot 5!.

"Don't think that just because you are taller than me, that you can push me around, Mr. Rambaudi!" she said as she slowly pushed

back from her desk and rose slowly out of her seat.

He smiled equally slowly before grabbing her waist and lifting her up to eye level with him. He picked her up as if she weighed no more than a few feathers.

"Put me down!" she hissed - very aware that the entire squad room was watching their interaction.

"Such a feisty little thing. I can see why Smeralda called you Brutta birbona. But you know what, Rachel? You are going to be MY Brutta birbona" he said before tucking his arms under her legs and turning her, so he cradled her in his arms.

Rachel was about to protest when her captain came out of his office. Finally, she thought, someone who would make Sergio listen. Her god-father was so good at intimidating people.

"Captain!" she exclaimed.

"Rambaudi?" her god-father asked softly.

"Captain Stocktard," Sergio greeted him in his accented voice.

"You know him?" Rachel squeaked.

"Yes, dolcezza. I met him while you were in the hospital."

he explained.

"Uncle Kevin, aren't you going to help me?" she asked.

"Help you what, Rachel? Remember? You are a big girl. Isn't that what you told me yesterday?" he said before he turned around and headed back into his office —his back hiding his huge grin.

"Uncle Kev!" she protested.

"I don't think he's going to rescue you, Rachel." Sergio said as he nuzzled the top of her head.

"Traitor!", she yelled as he strode out of the squad room with her and they passed the captain's office. Kevin didn't even bother to look up at her.

She squinted as they exited the building and bright sunshine hit them. Sergio walked down the stairs - quickly —vigorously and headed towards a extended cab pickup truck. It looked new.

"You replaced your BMW with a truck?" she asked him in disbelief?

"Yes, I did. I figured that Rambo wouldn't like riding around in the backseat of a BMW. This will give him more room." Sergio said as he set her on her feet next to the idling truck.

"And what makes you think that you are going to be taking Rambo anywhere?" she asked him defiantly.

As if hearing his name, her partner barked in greeting from the backseat of the truck.

"Who the hell told you that you could take him?" she hissed.

"Captain Stocktard brought him out and put him in the truck." Sergio said calmly. "Now why don't you get in and we'll go for a little drive."

"I have to work." she told him flatly

"It's already taken care of, Dulcezza," he whispered against her ear after he opened the door and lifted her into the high cab of his truck.

"What?" she gasped as he took the opportunity to explore the inside of her ear with his tongue.

"Come with me, Rachel. Please?" he coaxed as he lightly bit the lobe of her ear.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she leaned towards him.

"It's a surprise." he told her again, before gently turning her around in the seat and fastening her seat belt. He must have figured that reaching behind her to grab the seatbelt would cause her pain. His thoughtfulness, instead of making her feel smothered as she had thought it would - it made her feel protected. And that was not a feeling that she was accustomed to.

Sergio concentrated on the road as he drove to his brother's house. Nicola was being wonderful about this. His brother had bought the house nearly ten years ago. He had taken one look at the two-story home and promptly announced that it was going to be his future family's home. And he had babied it since, restoring it to it's former glory by his own sweat and blood and plenty of cash.

"What a beautiful house." Rachel exclaimed as they pulled into the drive.

"This is where I was headed on the day of the accident." Sergio said before opening the door. He walked around to Rachel's side and opened it for her. In the backseat, Rambo barked once. He cocked his eyebrow at her.

"Is it safe to let him out?" he asked. "He's not going to eat me or anything is he?"

"Yeah!" she said. "It's safe. He won't attack as long as you don't threaten me."

"Or you sic him on me?" he asked as he lifted her down to the truck.

"Or that. And after your high-handedness today I think that you might want to keep that in mind and thank me for not doing just that." she said with a straight face.

"Somehow, Officer Arnsworth, I don't think that you will. Come with me." he said offering her his hand after he let Rambo out of the backseat. The dog stopped and stood at attention next to Rachel. She absently rubbed the German Shepard's ears after he impolitely nudged her hand with his head.

"Of course. He's a police dog." Rachel laughed before following Sergio up the walk. As they approached the house, a man, even taller than Sergio, appeared on the porch. He had a beach towel wrapped around his waist.

"My brother," Sergio said as he saw where her gaze had landed.

"They grow them tall in your family?"

"I guess so." Sergio said as Nicola joined them on the walk. "Rachel, this is my older brother Nicola."

"Yes, I know." Nicola said with a chuckle. "Rachel Arnsworth, the lady police officer that Sergio had to rescue?"

"That's right. Your brother was very kind to stay with me. He didn't have to do that."

"I told you Dolcezza I couldn't leave you there." Sergio said gently as they followed Nicola up the walk.

"So this is what you wanted me to see? And how many times do I have to tell you, I am not your honey!" She added without much heat.

"You are going to be." he assured her.

"And why do you say that?" she asked questioningly as they followed Nicola around the side of the house.

"Because you said so." Sergio said calmly as they waited for Nicola to unlock the gate. In the distance Rachel could hear the surge of the waves and then she smelled the pleasant scent of the ocean.

"And when did I say that?" Rachel demanded as Rambo assumed the at ease position while they waited.

"You said that if I could find you a nude beach that you would agree to date me."

"So," Rachel replied as Sergio opened the gate. In the distance she could see the waves lapping at the sand. And people. Next to the fence was a hand carved plaque. It said: Le spiaggia de nudo de Rambaudi. Vestiario facoltativo, in Italian. And under it in English it said. Rambaudi's Nude Beach. Clothing optional. Rachel's jaw about dropped. Next to her Rambo whined softly. He loved to play in the water but like any well-trained police dog, he wouldn't act until ordered to. She swallowed roughly as she looked at the people and then the sign again.

"Sergio?" she asked uncertainly.

"Welcome to the Rambaudi's Nude Beach." Nicola said before dropping his beach towel and jogging towards the people.

She closed her eyes quickly rather than look at his brother's well-

shaped buttocks as he ran easily towards the waves. She could hear them yelling out in greeting just before he dove into the water. She swallowed before jerking her eyes up to Sergio's smiling face.

Her eyes couldn't have gotten any wider as he unbuttoned his shirt. Her mouth watered as he bared his broad chest. He was dark from obviously sunbathing in the nude. As he unbuttoned his chinos and lowered the zipper, she could see the flash of white from his snug boxer briefs. Then the chinos dropped onto the warm sand. Under the cotton of his boxers, she could see the outline of his cock. A whimper was building the in the back of her throat and it was all she could do to stop it from escaping. He was huge and he wasn't even hard yet! Before her astonished eyes, he began to grow. She looked up and met his heated stare.

"Come Rachel. Let's go swimming." he coaxed. She looked around her at the nude people that were laying out on beach towels and splashing in the waves. She returned his stare and slowly reached for the zipper on her uniform pants. She smiled at him mischievously and then answered him.

"Sic'em Rambo," she commanded her dog.

Sergio's eyes widened in surprise and then he hit the warm sand as 120lbs of active, eager German Shepard landed on his chest. He braced himself for unbelievable pain when Rambo growled playfully and began attacking every inch of exposed skin with his long wet tongue. Sergio froze in utter surprise as his little Rachel's vicious attack dog continued to slobber all over him.

Rachel! You little Brutta birbona. Call this dog off! " he ordered as he tried to shove the dog aside only to have him lay across his chest and continue to lap at his neck, shoulders, and face. Burying his fingers in the dog's thick coat he tried to move him. Rambo only barked and wiggled happily on top of him.

"Now you did it, Sergio. You found his special spot." Rachel laughed.

"His what!" Sergio's voice was muffled.

"His special spot. He loves to be scratched right there." Rachel said as she bent over and retrieved the keys out of Sergio's discarded pants pocket She smiled at Nicola as he ran up from the beach. She darted out the side door. A moment later Sergio heard his truck fire to life.

"Cazzarola!" Sergio growled as his brother leaned over him. Obviously he thought that Rambo was attacking his younger brother. Laughter rolled out of Nicola as he finally understood his brother's predicament,.

"This isn't funny, Nicola!" Sergio grunted as he tried once more to move the dog off him. Rambo had him at a serious disadvantage He was trained on how to keep a body pinned to the ground; and he was doing an excellent job of it while his mistress escaped.

"Sure it is. You finally found a woman that Momma will love."

"Andare all'inferno! he said as telling his brother to 'go to hell' before succumbing to laughter as Rambo continued to lick him wetly - sloppily on every exposed inch of his skin.